The 2019 season will go down as mostly a success for the Minnesota Vikings, but here are five offseason moves they have to make.
After some people suggested they had a better than good chance to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round on Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings went home with a 27-10 loss to end their season.
But all things considered, a 10-6 regular season with a surprising playoff win over the New Orleans Saints will go down as a success for the Vikings. Kirk Cousins had one of the best seasons of his career, in a Gary Kubiak-influenced offense that fit his skills and got a nice season out of running back Dalvin Cook. Minnesota finished eighth in scoring offense.
The defense, deemed to be in a collective decline phase from its peak a few years ago, wound up being a top-five scoring defense in the league. The unit was not without flaw though, particularly in the secondary at various times during the season, but head coach Mike Zimmer’s acumen as one of the top defensive minds in the NFL still stands.
The Vikings have some important decisions ahead of them this offseason, in order to help avoid continuing what seems to be an every other year, up-down cycle next season.
Here are five offseason moves the Minnesota Vikings have to make.
5. Extend Mike Zimmer And Rick Spielman
The Vikings’ head coach and general manager got matching token contract extensions early last offseason, carrying them through the 2020 campaign. Any speculation about Zimmer going back to Dallas to become Cowboys’ head coach went away with the playoff win over the Saints, and despite some occasional notable draft misses Spielman has built a roster that is a sustainable winner.
The Vikings won’t be making any changes at the top of the football operation this offseason. But new deals for Zimmer and Spielman are on the radar, and may get done very quickly.